Squamish now boasts its own commercial floatplane service, linking it to Vancouver and beyond.
After almost a decade of no commercial floatplane activity, Squamish is back in the running. The community’s lack of infrastructure and active waterfront has hampered floatplane activity in Squamish, Sea to Sky Air owner Carlo Galvani said. The Mamquam Blind Channel is congested and a growing amount of water traffic makes it difficult for the aircrafts to land along the waterway. One of the main hurdles is the lack of a floatplane dock, he said. As the Squamish oceanfront opens up, Galvani said he hopes it will present opportunities to accommodate floatplanes, both commercial and private. But until then, Sea to Sky Air has come up with an amphibious solution.
The company’s new Cessna 185 aircraft has wheels and floats allowing it to land or take off from the Squamish Airport and travel to places such as Vancouver International Airport and Victoria. The plane, which is also known as a Skywagon, carries three passengers.
“We are trying to really connect Squamish,” he said.
The aircraft gives the company more operational flexibility as to where they can run and the destinations the company can access. Floatplanes can often fly low over the water, allowing it to travel in weather conditions that might ground wheeled planes.
Sea to Sky Air officials hope more people will view the charted flights as a quick transport option to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. As Squamish grows and becomes more popular with tourists, Galvani aims to expand the service. If the business generates enough volume, officials want to implement scheduled flights linking up to other major transit hubs. This would allow the company to lower its ticket price.
Sea to Sky Air also flies people to wilderness lodges and takes them on alpine tours.
The service has generated interest, Sea to Sky pilot Steven Townsend said.
“It is pretty popular. We are trying to ramp it up a bit now. We are hoping to use it more in the winter,” he said, alluding to the services flexibility when it comes to weather conditions.
Flights range in price depending on the number of people and flight duration. A charter rate is roughly $575 an hour.
Sea to Sky Air takes an alpine lake dip after a quick flight -
